Where do you need some extra boldness this year?
I will say that when I’m in need of some courage, I have a little ritual that helps me: I love to take a deep breath and yell, “Towandaaaaa!” in my own head.
It all started when I saw the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.
Maybe you’ve seen it too, and remember when Evelyn (played by Kathy Bates) hears stories from long ago about Idgie, the main character, who yells “Towanda,” the name for the assertive, warrior-like alter ego she has created.
Evelyn is so inspired by this battle cry, she starts using it as she begins to evolve from an insecure, sedentary, junk food junkie whose harmless but clueless husband takes her for granted on a number of fronts into a bold, active entrepreneur who vocalizes her feelings to her husband. And then one day she asserts herself in a crazy, unforgettable way…
Which may inspire you to get your own “Towanda” on.
Do you have something you really need to say to someone? Is it time to take a step into some unknown territory? Is there something fun you want to do? Is there a wrong you need to right? Must you go somewhere physically or emotionally you don’t want to go? Is there a diagnosis you need to deal with? A boundary line you need to draw? Or cross? Is God telling you “Do this thing?” and it’s scaring you more than a little?
Now just may be your time. Listen in!
NOTES:
Fried Green Tomatoes (7/10) Movie Clip, Parking Lot Rage, 1991. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=towanda
Magazine Americana. “Towanda!” August, 2001. https://www.americanpopularculture.com/archive/film/towanda.htm
Women’s International Network of Utility Professionals. “The Towanda Effects—Unapologetic Boldness for Life and Career Success” (Panel Discussion), September 21, 2021. https://www.winup.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=537788&item_id=1510794